Bucket for handling loose materials



L. D. MOORE. BUCKET FOB HANDLING LOOSE MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17, I920- Patented. July 11, W22

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

L. n. MOORE.

BUCKET FOR HANDLLNG LOOSE MATERIALS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17. 1920.

Patented July U 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

//v EN 70A I L. D. MOORE.

BUCKET FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIALS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I7, I920- Pate'nted July 11, 1922.,

3 SHEETSSHEET 3'.

LEDLIE D. MOORE, OF NEVITONVILLE. 'MASSAOHTJ'SETTS.

BUCKET FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 15922.

Application filed June 17, 1920. Serial No. 389,572.

To all whom it may concern citizen of the United States, residing at Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain improvements in Buckets for rlandling Loose Materials, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accomp anying drawings, is a specification, like refer- ..ence characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to buckets of the type used in loading and unloading loose material such, for instance, as coal, ore, and the like. As is well understood by those skilled in this art, it is customary in the unloading of vessels or barges to use a bucket of the digging type to handle the greater part of the material. The unloading operation, however, cannot be completed economically with a bucket of this type and it has therefore been proposed heretofore to finish the unloading operation with a different type of bucket having a very wide spread and also having straight edges so that it would scrape up-the material scattered over the bottom of the hold of the vessel or barge and would retain the load or" this material so scraped up while it was conveyed to the unloading point. Buckets of the latter type have been referred to as clean up buckets and the constructions heretofore proposed have been so heavy and cumbersome that they have not gone into general use.

The present invention is especially concerned with buckets of the clean up type and it aims to devise a bucket which will have a maximum of strength and capacity for a given weight. In other words, the invention aims to devise a bucket which will be relatively light in weight while still having ample strength and carrying capacity. The invention is also directed to the general improvement of buckets for handling loose materials.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection'with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevationof a bucket embodying the invention in the form at present preferred;

Fig. 2 is front elevation of the bucket Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bucket shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but showing the bucket open; and

Fig. a is aside view of the bucket in its open position.

The bucket shown comprises two scoops or jaws designated in general at A and B, respectively, these jaws being connected together by a pivot 1 so that they can be swung from a closed to an open position, and vice versa. Since both jaws are substantially alike in construction, the detail of construction of one jaw only will be described. Each jaw comprises a shell and a system of bracing tor the shell. The shell construction consists of two side plates 2 and 3, respectively, an end plate 4:, and an edge plate The side plates 2 and 3 extend the entire length of each jaw and the corre sponding side plates of the two jaws overlap at the upper part of the bucket and are connected together by the pivot 1, portions oi said plates in the illustrated form of the 'invention constituting arms projecting beyond the shell to the pivot, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig.1.

The bracing for the two jaws comprises a plate 6 of angular cross section to which the side plate 2 1s riveted, and a similar plate "7 to which the side plate 3 is riveted.

These plates run from a point adjacent to the pivot 1 to the edge plate 5, and it will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2 that these plates converge "from the bottom of the bucket toward the top. Two other plates 8 and 9. respectively, are connected by gussets 10 and 11 to the upper parts oi"? the plates (3 and 7, respectively, and the two members 8 and 9 are both riveted at their lower ends to a stay plate 12. A mid-rib or brace 14 is riveted to the stay plate 12 and the end plate 4 and edge plate 5 of the shell are both riveted to one edge of this rib as effect two triangles that support and brace the shell, one of these triangles comprising the parts 6, 8 and l h-while the other comprises the parts 7, 9 and 1 1. The plates 1 and 5 of the shell form the bases for both of these triangles while the apexes lie adjacent to the pivot 1. In other words, the opposite edges of the end plates a and 5 of the shell are supported by the outer legs 6 and 7 of the triangular bracing system while thecentral portions of these plates are supported by the rib 141, which is in effect a continuation of the inner legs 8 and 9 of the triangles. This, as will readily be appreciated, forms a very strong, sturdy construction.

The bracing construction above described is designed especially to support the load in the shell and these parts are so designed that they also support the jaw against longitudinal bending or bucklin At'the same time this construction gives substantial support against transverse buckling, and for the purpose of further strengtheir ing the aw, particularly against transverse strains, it is provided with a main cross brace 16. This brace preferably is in the form of an I beam having its ends riveted to the plates 6 and 7 and also riveted to the rib-14 and to the stay plate 12, providing substantial support for the stay plate.

Forthe' purpose of reinforcing the edges of the side plates 2 and 3, members 17 and 18,

respectively, are riveted to them, these parts also being angular in cross section. The parts 2 and 17 cooperate with the member 6 to form one leg of one of the triangles above referred to, while the parts 3 and 18 cooperate with the member 7 to form the corresponding leg of the other triangle. Similar reinforcing members 19' are riveted to the inclined portions of these edges where they come together when the bucket is closed 'to form the material holding pocket. It will be seen that the construction of the side members 2 and 3 resembles in a general way that of a plate girder, the members 17 and .18, respectively, corresponding to the lower chords and the members (3 and 7, respectively, to the upper chords.

Plates 20 and 21, Fig. 2, carrying eyes, are secured to the opposite sides of each jaw to receive the cables 22 and 23 running to an equalizer or rocker 2 1 that is supported by additional. cable or cables 25. This cable arrangement sustains the weight of the bucket and its load. The bucket is closed by means of another cable 26 running over pulley 27 supported by the pivot 1 and through additional sheaves or pulleys 28 and 29, Fig. 3, on the jaw B, and 30 and 31 on the jaw A, the cable running from the latter pulley to an eye-32 fast on the brace 16 of the jaw B. By this arrangement, as will readily be understood from an inspection of Fig. 3, a

pull on the cable 26 tends to swing the jaws A and B together and thus close the bucket.

As above stated, the two jaws are substantially identical in construction. Some minor diiferences, however, are necessary in order to enable them to swing toward and from each other. For instance, the reinforcing plate 17 on the jaw B is shorter than.

that on the jaw A as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 1, the purpose of this difference in dimensions being to permit the relative swinging movement of the two jaws, as just described.

It will now be evident that this inven tion provides a bucket construction that is very sturdy and substantial and has a lead carrying capacity equivalent to that of the usual designs while being stronger and very much lighter in weight.

hat is claimed as new is: e:

1. In a material handling bucket, the

combination ofa pair of jaws, each comprising a shell having an end plate, and a pair of side plates having portions constituting arms projecting up beyond the shell, means pivotally connecting the upper ends of the arms of one jaw with the arms of the other jaw; andstiffening and strengthening means for each jaw including braces extending downward from the arms, inward toward each other and to the end plate of the shell said braces being rigidly secured to said arms and end plate, and together with the side plates and end plate forming a triangular system of bracing for the jaw.

2..In the material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, each comprising a shell having an end and a pair of sides, and arms rigid with said sides and pro ecting up beyond the shell, stiffening members extending along the arms, and

braces rigidly secured to the arms and inclined downward and inward to the end of the shell and rigidly secured thereto into intermediate the ends thereof, said stifiening members, braces and the end of the shell forming apair of triangular bracing sys tems for the jaw; and means pivotally connecting the arms of one jaw with the arms of the other jaw.

3. In a material handlingbucket, the combination of a pair of jaws pivotally connected and each comprising a shell having side members projecting upward there from, and a pair of braces connected to said side members and extending downward and inward toward each other, the lower ends of said braces being connected to the shell intermediate said side members, said braces, side members and portions of the shell forming triangular bracing systems for the j aw.

4- In a material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, each comprising a shell having sidem'embers rigid therewith and projecting upwardly therefrom,

braces connected to said side members and inclined downward therefrom and inwardly toward each other, a mid-brace secured to the shell intermediate the side members, and means connecting said mid-brace with the inclined braces, said inclined braces, midbrace and portions of the shell forming a pair of triangular bracing systems for the jaw.

5. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, each comprising a shell, side members rigid with and projecting upward from the shell, stiffening members extending along and secured to said side members and sides of said shell, a midbrace extending along and secured to the shell intermediate the sides thereof, and inclined braces connected to said mid-brace and side members, said stifiening members, inclined braces, mid-brace and portions of said shell forming a pair of triangular strengthening and bracing systems for the aw.

6. In a material handling bucket, the-combination of apair of jaws, each comprising a shell having arms rigid therewith and projecting upward from opposite sides thereof, a cross-brace cormected to said side members, and inclined braces connected to said side members and cross brace, said side members, inclined braces and cross brace forming a pair of triangular bracing systems for the jaw.

7. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, each comprising a shell having arms rigid with and projecting up from opposite sides of the shell, a stiffening brace secured to the shell intermediate the sides thereof, a cross brace connected to the side arms, inclined braces connected to the side arms and projecting downwardly and inwardly toward said stiffening brace, and means connecting said stiffening brace and inclined braces.

8. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, each comprising a shell having an end plate and upwardly converging side plates, the latter being provided with arms rigid therewith and lying in substantially the same planes as said side plates, and inclined braces connected to said side arms and converging downward toward and secured to the end plate intermediate combination of a jaw comprising a material holding shell having side walls and a wall intermediate said side walls, and a system of bracing for said shell including members extending down into and secured to said shell with provision for resisting buckling of said intermediate wall on application of a blow or pressure on either of said side walls.

11. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a jaw comprising a material holding shell having side walls and a wall intermediate said side walls, upright braces for said shell secured to and extending along the shell and rising a substantial distance above the same, and upright braces having lower end portions extending across and secured to the intermediate wall of said shell between the ends thereof and diverging upward and having upper ends connected to the first-named upright braces; said braces cooperating with said shell to form triangular systems of bracing resisting buckling of the intermediate wall of the shell.

12. In a material handling, bucket, the combination of a jaw comprising a material holding shell having side walls and a wall intermediate said side walls, and a triangular system of bracing for the jaw including braces extending from above said shell down, across and secured to said intermediate wall to stiffen the same and resist buckling thereof, a portion of said shell between said braces constituting an element of the triangular system of bracing.

18. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a jaw comprising a material holding shell having side walls and a wall intermediate said side walls, and a system of bracing for the jaw including braces extending from above said shell down, across and secured to said intermediate wall to stifien the same, a cross brace extending in the general direction of said intermediate wall and secured to said braces, and a pair of braces between said first-named braces having their lower ends secured to said cross brace and their upper ends secured to said firstnamed braces.

14. In a material handling bucket, the combination of a pair of jaws, means pivotally connecting the upper ends of said jaws that the latter may swing to open and closed position, each of said jaws comprising a material holding shell having side walls and a wall intermediate said side walls, and a system of bracing for said shell including members extending into, across and secured to said shell with provision for resisting buckling of said intermediate wall on application of a blow or pressure on either of said side walls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LEDLIE D. MOORE. 

